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I have a little problem. I'm addicted to cookbooks, food writing, recipe collecting, and cooking. I have a lot of recipes waiting for me to try them, and ideas from articles, tv, and restaurants often lead to new dishes. I started losing track of what I've done. So now I'm taking photos and writing about what I've prepared—unless it's terrible in which case I forget it ever happened.

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Saturday, March 26, 2011

The adage “we eat with our eyes” is sometimes associated with visuals of gooey, melting cheese or thick, rich, chocolate sauce, but here, it came into play simply because of color. This is an uncomplicated dip made from just a few ingredients so it wasn’t the process of making it that was so interesting, but that bright pink color was something I couldn’t forget. I’m already a fan of beets whether they’re red, golden, or candy cane striped so I knew I’d like the flavor of grated beets in a sour cream dip. Mostly though, I wanted that color of a dip on the table surrounded by crisp, white vegetables like cauliflower, Belgian endive, and celery hearts. I saw the recipe in the December issue of Food and Wine, and I kept it in mind until I finally had an occasion to make it.

Red beets were peeled and then grated on a box grater. Meanwhile, finely chopped red onion was sauteed in some olive oil, and then the grated beets were added. Water was poured over the onion and beets, and the saute pan was covered so the vegetables could simmer for about five minutes. The cover was removed, red wine vinegar and honey were added, and the mixture was cooked while stirring until the liquid evaporated. Once cooked and allowed to cool a bit, the vegetables were combined with sour cream, and it was ready to serve.

A dip made with golden beets would have been just as delicious, but I might not have remembered it so well. And, certainly any vegetables could be served with this dip, but the pale, just barely green colors of those suggested made for a striking platter with the bowl of pink dip.

I eat with my eyes, nose, fingers, mouth, everything, and I savor a food before I ever put it into my mouth. I am intrigued by this recipe and the color and texture does make it really tempting. I can imagine how great the combo of sweet beets and tangy sour cream is! We grew up adding a great big dollop of sour cream to our borsht! Great recipe!

With the sour cream, definitely memories of Borscht from when I was a child - which, unfortunately, I absolutely hated! I just started liking beets last year! So glad I gave them another few tries. Your dip looks gorgeous, such a vibrant pink-red. Can't 'beat' beets when it comes to natural food color. :)

I love the addition of red wine vinegar and honey- sounds delicious! And yes, we do eat with our eyes so it's good to see that natural, unadulterated foods can be just as visually appealing as food color laden foods. Let's hope the FDA recognizes this as well:-)

Just gorgeous! I find that when I cater, I often end up with lots of brown food. I'm not sure how that happens and I always like to have a back-pocket recipe for something really striking visually. Totally going to use this sometime soon!

Awesome ;) I made a similar recipe not long ago & could hardly stop going back & having another taste and then another taste, there was hardly any left by the time our friends arrived. Its such a good taste huh. The colour alone is awesome huh